Mir “doesn’t want to destroy” the 2023 Honda MotoGP squad

The 2020 world champion is expected to join Honda’s factory team next year Mark Marquez following Suzuki’s shock decision to leave MotoGP at the end of the current season.

As with any other move for a rider, part of the negotiation centers around which team he can take with him from his current team.

While Mir is in talks with Honda on the subject, he is wary of the crew already at HRC and doesn’t want to upset that balance.

Asked when news was expected on his future ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Mir said: “We are very close.

“We are closer than yesterday! It’s a good name. And I think we’ll have news about that soon.”

Asked about the possibility of bringing former Suzuki team members with him, Mir added: “I don’t want to break up the team.

“It’s something I don’t want, but it’s important that in a place I’m what they want to do first with the guys that are there and try to understand if some people from Suzuki can come because they don’t have work .

“So I don’t want to move my team to another location because the people are already there.

“We’re trying to figure these things out, but it’s not easy in this situation.

“We don’t have anything else, neither does the team. This is an abnormal situation for us, so it’s difficult.”

Mir is yet to reach a podium on Suzuki this year and does not believe any strong result at the Red Bull Ring will affect Honda’s decision on his 2023 team.

“No, we know that it’s not a matter of pressuring the manufacturer or not,” he said. “We live in an emergency situation.

“It’s more important to move on from this difficult moment and enjoy the weekend more, and mentally, [it] will give us a good boost.”

KTM and Tech 3 are expected to announce the current Honda factory rider on Saturday Paul Espargaroappointment to the team in 2023.